Member Spotlight: Grace Elder

How did you first come across CMC, and what drew you to become a part of this collective?

I first came across CMC through a one-day workshop with Women Photo Tours that Erica (the founding director of CMC) led. She described how it’s a way to encourage each other by sharing our work and getting critiqued. At first, I was scared, as I never had an “art school background” or experienced any critiques of my work of any kind. But I went to my first meeting and I was hooked. Photography is such a lonely hobby, but being able to be around other photographers is extremely inspiring. I’ve loved seeing other people’s work and hearing about their experiences taking photos. The community that CMC fosters is extremely welcoming and unpretentious. 

Since joining CMC, I’ve felt so much more confident in my work and process. I now finally consider myself a “photographer” despite the fact that I’ve taken photos for as long as I can remember. Even though I technically have a “day job” and I’m not making a living off of my photography, I’ve found my identity through taking photos again. (For context: I kinda lost my creative drive for a sec there in college – tried doing the engineering thing – def not for me.)

CMC has helped me embrace my photography and continues to help me evolve and grow with it. I’ve learned so much from everyone and have been so inspired to keep shooting and to keep pushing myself.

You tend to focus on shooting street photography. How do you decide when a scene is worth photographing?
Usually, when I’m out shooting, I never really have anything in mind that I’m looking for specifically. On the weekends, I like to walk from my apartment in the UWS to as far downtown as I can go. I like to let the city guide me, as cliché as that sounds. If I see something interesting in the distance, I’ll head towards it. Usually, this means I’m heading wherever I see more people. 

When it comes to what gets me to actually press the shutter button, it’s the quiet moments within this city's crazy, absurd chaos. 

I think one of the few useful qualities my constant anxiety has bestowed upon me is that I’m extremely observant (sometimes maybe too much), but I feel like it’s my superpower when it comes to photography. I love looking for the small gestures or interactions between people that happen every day. In the least creepy way possible, I love observing people when they think no one is watching. That’s when people let their guard down and are fully themselves. I love capturing those moments of real intimacy, whether it’s with another person or just a moment alone. I’ve also found that kids are so unapologetically themselves, amidst the tumultuous world around them, and I’ve found a lot of enjoyment in capturing that joy. 

I also love capturing the quintessential NY spirit. This summer, I went to Coney Island for the first time (with CMC!) and then immediately again the next day for the Mermaid Parade. The energy there was so lively and fun, and it felt like I was a part of a giant backyard hang out. I love capturing community in this light – people being around the people they love and having fun and enjoying themselves.

Overall, I can’t really place what I take photos of into a specific box. I take photos of the chaos and the quiet. I guess it’s really just a feeling that tells me to take the photo… or if there’s a really cute dog. That’ll also do it.

How do you navigate the ethics of photographing strangers?

Okay…oof… this is a big one. I don’t think I will ever have an absolute answer for this question, and I also think my opinion on the matter will evolve throughout my life. It goes without saying that this is a really tricky thing to navigate. I also want to point out that I am making these assumptions based only from my experiences up to this moment. My opinions on the matter may not be right, but in the end, I’m just trying to use the best judgment I can. To answer this question though, I’m going to first give you a bit of background on my journey with street photography. 

I first started pursuing street photography when I moved to NY about 4 years ago. I started taking pictures in Central Park and of any cool things I saw, but I quickly realized the only photos I really liked and found interesting were the ones of people. This was really unfortunate as I was/am fairly shy and extremely adverse to conflict. I was so terrified that if I took a picture of a stranger they would yell at me or make a huge scene (and then I would start crying of course).

So when I started intentionally taking photos of people, I was really sneaky about it. I used my lil Olympus XA2 point and shoot and only photographed people with my camera at my hip. Over the course of these four years, I’ve grown in my confidence and have slowly gotten closer and closer to my subjects. I’ve also gotten a better understanding of how the city and the people that live here function. I’ve picked up how to gauge a situation and when it feels okay to take a photo and when it’s not. I’ve learned, for the most part, people either don’t care or are extremely oblivious when you take a photo of them. 

Okay. Before I go any further, I’d like to acknowledge that I am female presenting and look fairly young/innocent which lets me get away with a lot in the street photography world. If I take a photo of a stranger point blank and there’s that moment when me and my subject are making full eye contact, both knowing I just took a picture of them, I’ll smile (maybe say a compliment of some kind) and then just walk away. That’s gotten me really far somehow. I’ve also approached people beforehand and asked to take their picture, and for the most part people will say yes and we’ll have a nice lil chat. (I’m working on doing this a bit more.)

When it comes to navigating the ethics of doing what I do, I think the biggest thing for me that it comes down to is the intent. I’d like to remind you (the reader) that what I’m saying may not exactly be right or good but this is me trying to use my best judgment for the sake of art. When I’m on the street taking photos of people, I am looking to capture the human experience and to document the world around me. I’m not looking to get the next shocking image or to exploit strangers. I have a couple of strict rules when it comes to things that I won't photograph when I’m out shooting to try to prevent this. With that being said though, New York is a crazy city and there’s some wild stuff going on at all times. I love an interesting character as much as the next guy and will gladly take a photo of them. For example, I was walking near Carnegie Hall one day and there was a man on a vespa with his cat up front wearing a chain and sunglasses. You bet I got that on film. But in general, my overall rule of thumb is that if I feel like taking a picture of someone would be mean (for lack of a more sophisticated way of putting that), I don’t do it. If I see that a picture I’ve taken feels cruel or exploitative after the fact, I won’t put it out into the world. 

Taking everything into account, I’m also still in the beginning of my street photography journey, having only actively pursued this subject for maybe a year or so. I don’t think there will ever be an exact “rule book” on the matter. But to make this art, we just have to put ourselves out there and try things. It’s not an exact science and I may mess up sometimes, but in the end I always try to do what feels right.

Could you share 3–5 images from your most recent project or photo series? We'd love to hear the story behind these works and what inspired the project.
I recently went to Colorado for a family reunion this past Summer and while there, I challenged myself to continue to think in that “street photographer” mindset. I had a blast getting to bond with family I hadn’t seen in over ten years, but I also used the experience to practice my photography. I knew I was going to be seeing a bunch of cool places and things I’d never seen before, but in past trips, I’ve fallen into the trap of taking pictures of monuments and the classic tourist things. While I still took those quintessential pictures, I pushed myself to look further. While at these places, I observed the people around me and photographed how they experienced these new places.

It was fun to fully throw myself into these experiences. I was able to notice a lot more than I usually do and ended up enjoying the experience even more. I loved seeing other people in awe of the landscapes and the bonding effect these kinds of trips have on a family. 

These photos are from different places in Colorado and hopefully show a good range of the pictures I took on the trip. And, of course, there’s a photo of a cutie lil dog I saw bundled up at the top of a mountain.